It’s no secret that North Korea controls its people through fear and propaganda.
Here are some of the craziest North Korean propaganda claims we’ve ever heard from the Hermit Kingdom:
1. North Korea Made a Video Depicting 150,000 US Citizens Taken Hostage.
North Korea makes video of taking 150,000 Americans hostages in Seoul
The four-minute video was released in March 2013 with the title “A Short, Three-Day War.” The U.S. hostages were taken during a supposed invasion of Seoul, South Korea’s capital.
Related: North Korea has declared war on decadent, Western-style love
Its release came at a time when joint military drills involving the United States and South Korea, which angered Kim Jong-un. They prompted the North Korean dictator to threaten attacks on U.S. military bases in Japan and Guam, according to a Yahoo! News article.
The video was posted on Uriminzokkiri, North Korea’s official website, and followed a similar theme. Other videos on the site around that time included New York in flames, President Barack Obama being the victim of a nuclear blast, and the U.S. Capitol exploding, Yahoo! News reported.
2. Kim Jong-Un Climbed North Korea’s Highest Mountain Wearing a Long Top Coat and Dress Shoes.
Mount Paektu may (or may not) be where Kim’s father, Kim Jong-Il, was born, so it holds symbolic meaning to the North Korean leader.
As of 2019, Kim reportedly has ascended the 9,022-feet peak three times and made a joint visit to the mountain with South Korean leader Moon Jae-in in 2018, the BBC reported.
In 2019, he rode on the mountain on horseback, causing North Korea’s official state news agency, KCNA, to gush:
“Sitting on the horseback atop Mt. Paektu, [he] recollected with deep emotion the road of arduous struggle he covered for the great cause of building the most powerful country, with faith and will as firm as Mt. Paektu.”
3. Kim Jong-Il Used an Invisible Phone to Call the North Korean Soccer Coach.
The apparent call allegedly occurred around the time of North Korea’s 2-1 loss to Brazil in a World Cup match in Johannesburg in 2010. Not only that, but Kim is allegedly credited with inventing the phone himself.
Per ESPN: “Kim Jong-Su, the general secretary of the North Korean FA [Football Association], has said the Dear Leader gave ‘in-depth guidance’ on how to develop the game in the country and the coach himself has claimed he received regular tactical advice during matches, apparently using mobile phones that are not visible to the naked eye.”
4. Kim Jong-Il Made 11 Holes-in-One During His First Round of Golf.
OK, we can’t rip this claim too much, because what golfer hasn’t fibbed about their score at one time or another? But 11 holes-in-one? There’s fibbing, and then there’s Grand Canyon-sized lying.
Kim apparently did this en route to finishing his round with a score of 38 under par. Maybe he should have picked up a side gig as a golf instructor.
5. The Time Kim Jong-Il’s Track Suits Set the Fashion World on Fire.
World leader. Exceptional golfer. Fashion icon.
Was there anything Kim couldn’t do? To listen to Uriminzokkiri tell it, the answer is no.
“The reason is that the august image of the Great General, who is always wearing the modest suit while working, leaves a deep impression on people’s minds in the world,” Uriminzokkiri hyperbolically stated. “To sum it up, that is because his image as a great man is so outstanding.”
6. Americans Are Imperialists that Enjoy Killing Babies.
Didn’t you know that Americans throw babies down wells, just for funsies? We guess some people will believe anything, especially if state-controlled media is telling you what to believe.
7. Kim Jong-Il Has Never Urinated or Defecated.
Bathroom, what bathroom?
Who needs a bathroom when you never need to go? That is what a North Korean, state-run website claimed about Kim. The site eventually took the reference about Kim never going No. 1 or No. 2 down, according to an article in The Guardian. Apparently, some claims are too outlandish even for communist propagandists.
8. North Korea Is the 2nd-Happiest Country Behind China.
That’s according to North Korean researchers in 2011. The people compiling the rankings apparently didn’t take such things as democracy and freedom (of expression, speech, the press, et al.) into consideration.
We’ll give you one guess which country came in last? (Hint: It is celebrating its 250th birthday in 2026.)
9. The Country Often Suffering from Famine Claims It Has Lots of Food.
This is perhaps the cruelest North Korean propaganda poster ever.
Either the North Koreans are lying about their food supply, or we shouldn’t believe the United Nations Human Rights Council. A report from the council in 2025 said 12 million people, or about half of the people living in North Korea, are undernourished.
But if the North Koreans said it, who are we to question them? All we have is history on our side.
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